Eric Gordon is a fan of New Orleans, which should come as welcome news to, well, New Orleans fans. He loves the food, the laid-back vibe and the folks who support the last-place Hornets despite being given so many reasons to stay away. Bring up the coach (that's second-year man Monty Williams for you non-loyalists), and the 23-year-old shooting guard who will be a restricted free agent this summer makes it sound as if he never wants to leave.

Forward Carl Landry said he agreed to only a one-year deal last summer because of the Hornets’ ownership uncertainty. But he said with Benson taking control, he’ll look at committing to the Hornets long term. “Having some type of stability definitely helps,’’ Landry said. “Going into a situation where you don’t know what’s going to happen, if the team is going to be there the following year, who’s going to buy the team, it’s uncertainty, instability. But going into a situation where you do have that definitely helps.

HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: The New Orleans Hornets are already seeing the benefit of steady ownership.

For those that missed it: yesterday the NBA announced that Saints` owner Tom Benson has a deal in principle to purchase the Hornets.

And much will change. For the better.

Take Carl Landry. The multi-purpose forward will become a free agent at season’s end, and only signed a one-year contract this winter with the club because the ownership situation was so unstable.

With Benson on-board, Landry wants to re-up for the long-term.

Other things are happening in NOLA. The club has sold 10,000 season tickets. They have heaps of cap space. There are two lottery picks in the fold. And Eric Gordon seems interested in signing a long-term extension.

Toronto Raptor fans do not have much to celebrate. They have been in lockout mode since 2009. The lockout shouldn’t be a problem because they have been in tank mode. The Raptor fans are more concerned with getting the top pick in any draft. Do you remember Master P and the No Limit Soldiers gold tank in the “Make em say uggghh” music video? Yep. Just like that; a solid gold tank.

Derrick Rose’s Chicago Bulls have been eliminated from the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals at the hands of the Wade/LeBron-Bosh Miami Heat, 4-1. Chi-Town is fighting through some pain right now, but there shouldn’t be any. At the beginning of the season, there were not many people on the Bulls’ bandwagon. The hype grew as the wins piled up. The bandwagon grew yet many were not convinced. Rose won MVP and that’s when all hell broke loose. Tom Thibodeau received Coach of the Year. Beating Indiana and Atlanta were good. However, facing Miami caused the bandwagon to break. People keep saying that getting an upgrade at the shooting guard position over Keith Bogans is all that is needed to get the Bulls over the top to win it all.

Have you ever gotten to your birthday only to realize that you really do not want to make a big fuss out of it? We get all this attention, or lack thereof for some people, and begin to ponder about our current situations. What have we accomplished? How did we get better? How did we get worse? In the end, who gives a damn? Get out there. Beat your feet. Do it. Get it done. Just ask yourself one thing every birthday from now on, “What have I done lately?” That’s how one should approach this list with the top shooting guards. For the stat whores. Notables missing – Brandon Roy, Tyreke Evans, Ray Allen. I know. I’m shocked about those guys, too.

Baron Davis has reported to training camp out of shape, according to new head coach Vinny Del Negro. Del Negro lightly criticized Davis for not being in ideal shape to run the aggressive, uptempo offense he envisions.

Baron Davis has once again arrived at the Los Angeles Clippers’ training camp in less than ideal shape, earning the wrath of coach Vinny Del Negro.

Clearly, Davis is wasting his talent. For instance, TNT broadcaster Kenny Smith once suggested he had the talent to make the All-NBA first team every year.

If healthy and focused, he’s a premier table-setter, capable of dominating like the 2007 Western Conference Quarter-Finals when his Golden State Warriors upset the first-seeded Dallas Mavericks.

If out-of-shape and unfocused, he’s a liability. Davis becomes turnover-prone, takes bad shots, sloughs off defense, and becomes a negative influence in the locker room.

For most of his run with the Clippers, Davis has resembled the latter. He seems more interested in his off-court pursuits – his documentary Crips and Bloods: Made in America is up for several nominations - than playing basketball.

The real shame is that the Clippers have potential. Chris Kaman and Blake Griffin could dominate down-low, while Eric Gordon blossomed with Team USA.

All that’s missing is a motivated point guard. Hopefully, Davis seizes the moment and changes his ways.

It's not my call. That's on them," Jennings said. "But if you want to get technical about it and you really want to look at it, half of the guys there are Nike guys. I'm not saying it's a Nike thing, but Nike is kind of running a lot of things right now. To have a guy like myself on the USA team that's flashy and really outgoing, you don't want Under Armour to get all that [publicity]. "I'm just telling you how it is."

At least, this is the reason second year guard Brandon Jennings believes Team USA didn’t invite him to try out for the World Championship squad. Stars and Stripes were sponsored by Nike. Jennings is sponsored by Under Armour.

Jennings sees a connection. The Swoosh supposedly concocted a grand conspiracy of Oliver Stone proportion to keep Jennings – a pretty good, but hardly great table-setter - off the squad.

There’s a simpler and better answer: Jennings isn’t as good as he thinks.

Team USA had other options. Better options. For instance, the coaching staff selected Chauncey Billups and Derrick Rose at point guard. Both are more advanced than Jennings. Neither wears Nike.

Off the bench, the Americans had Stephen Curry, Eric Gordon, and Russell Westbrook. Curry makes Team USA because they needed outside shooting. Gordon surprised the coaching staff. And Westbrook’s energy and athleticism was irreplaceable.

Frankly, the 2010 American team won gold at the World Championship because everybody parked their egos at the door. Nobody bitched. Nobody moaned.

Would the coaches want someone who describes himself as flashy and outgoing, and believes a multinational shoe company is out to get him? Or, would they want a player who puts the team first?

According to one report, the Nets are not willing to include Brook Lopez in an attempt to trade for Carmelo Anthony. But New Jersey's offer of Devin Harris, Derek Favors and draft picks may still give the Nuggets the best pieces in return for Anthony.

The Nuggets have had discussions with the Bulls that center around Luol Deng and Taj Gibson. The Warriors may offer Stephen Curry, Andris Biedrins and draft picks but are not sure that they will make Curry available. The Clippers are called a long shot with Chris Kaman and Eric Gordon the likely two targets whom Denver would look to acquire.

Reports indicate the Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, and New Jersey Nets have made offers to the Denver Nuggets for Carmelo Anthony.

Consider all the proposals: the Bulls are dangling Luol Deng and Taj Gibson; the Clippers have made Eric Gordon and Chris Kaman available; the Nets are willing to part with Derrick Favors and Devin Harris; and the Warriors are assembling a package around Andris Biedrins.

Two teams stand out: the Los Angeles Clippers and New Jersey Nets.

The Nuggets have to be intrigued by the Clips’ offer. Gordon would solve a hole at the two-spot, while Kaman would provide a much-needed seven-footer down low.

The Nets’ offer is also interesting. Favors is a spectacular blue-chip talent; Harris can play next to Chauncey Billups, learn the tricks of the trade from the veteran, and eventually replace him at the one-spot.

Also, Anthony would likely consider signing an extension with both the Clippers and Nets. Los Angeles is a major market. And New Jersey will soon be a major market when they cross the river to Brooklyn in a few years.

So expect the Clippers and Nets to be in play –if the Nuggets finally trade Anthony.